Photos of the Day 11/15

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A commercial jet passes the moon as seen from Daytona Beach, Fla. Jim Tiller/AP Photo

A southern Sudanese woman displays her inked finger after registering to vote in the southern town of Melut. Voter registration is under way in South Sudan in preparation for a January independence referendum that could see the creation of the world's newest country. More than 2,600 registration centers opened Monday across the vast and undeveloped south. Pete Muller

Swan keeper Olaf Niess transports swans in boats after he and council workers rounded them up from Hamburg's inner city lake, Alster. Every year the swans are collected from waterways around the northern German city of Hamburg and taken to winter quarters where they are fed and cared for until the spring. Christian Charisius/Reuters

A girl holds a Turkish flag during a military parade in the Turkish occupied area of Cyprus's divided capital, Nicosia. The date of Nov. 15 marks the 26th anniversary of the unilateral declaration of independence by the occupation regime, recognized only by Turkey. Petros Karadjias/AP Photo

Camels stand in the backdrop of hot air balloons at the Pushkar camel fair in Pushkar, In India's state of Rajasthan. Pushkar is a popular Hindu pilgrimage spot that is also frequented by foreign tourists who come to the town for its annual cattle fair and camel races. The eight-day long fair began began Sunday. Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo

A Muslim pilgrim prays on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat, outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. At least 2.5 million Muslims began the annual haj pilgrimage on Sunday, heading to an encampment near Mecca to retrace the route taken by the prophet Muhammad 14 centuries ago. Mohammed Salem/Reuters

West Indies' batsman Chris Gayle celebrates after completing a century during the first day's play of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Galle, Sri Lanka. Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo

Senior softball players from the US celebrate a run during a friendship game against senior Cuban players in Havana. The exercise in softball diplomacy was a joint effort between the Eastern Massachusetts Senior Softball Association and the Cuban Softball Federation in a 'friendship' tournament they hope will set an example for their respective governments. Enrique De La Osa/Reuters

Mongolian sumo grand champion Hakuho (c.) reacts after he is forced out of the ring by Kisenosato (r.) on the second day of the 15-day Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka, southern Japan. Hakuho ended his winning streak at 63 bouts and failed to surpass legendary Yokozuna Futabayama's all-time mark of 69 consecutive wins set during 1936 to 1939. Kyodo/Reuters

Japan's Rie Tanaka competes on the uneven bars during the gymnastics women's individual all-around at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Ng Han Guan/AP Photo

Belgium's Crown Prince Philippe (r.) and Hugo Casaer (c.), mayor of Beersel Lot, visit a flooded area in Lot, near Brussels. Several rivers burst their banks due to heavy rain, flooding several towns and villages in Belgium. Yves Herman/Reuters

A farmer cuts rice during the harvest season in a field on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Chor Sokunthea/Reuters

An Army carry team walks through the fog during the dignified transfer of Army Pfc. Jacob C. Carroll of Clemmons, N.C., upon arrival at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The Department of Defense announced the death of Carroll, who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

A supporter of the Greek Communist Party shouts slogans during a rally against austerity in Athens. Greece promised on Monday to stick to its deficit cutting plan while its prime minister said Germany's tough stance may push debt-laden European nations such as Portugal and Ireland to bankruptcy. Yiorgos Karahalis/Reuters

As Venezuelan politicians prepare for long-delayed gubernatorial elections, some opposition members have argued that their participation would validate the increasingly undemocratic government. But memories of a backfiring boycott in 2005 have hung over the decision.

Since April, Venezuela’s opposition coalition seemed to be gaining the kind of support and momentum it was long criticized for lacking. Its calls for peaceful protests and boycotts were met by a broad, consistent turnout, and an unofficial referendum it organized in July led more than 7 million Venezuelans at home and abroad to condemn the increasingly authoritarian moves of President Nicolás Maduro’s government.